This invention relates to a new and innovative adjustable tarpaulin that enables the tarpaulin to be adjusted to various predetermined lengths, and more secured fastening of the tarpaulin. The present invention may be made of fabric, plastic-coated woven fabric, fleece or of unreinforced or reinforced edges and sides.
Tarpaulins are used as covers for protecting all types of materials against the influences of weather, cold, heat, dust and other harsh environment.
Tarpaulins are used, as fabricated, mainly for covering purposes. They are often made in a shaped form after being cut to a pattern. They may be provided with edge reinforcements, eyelets (or tie points) and other holding devices, for use as covers on trucks, cars, boats, protective covers on construction jobs, on railroads and for mail traffic, as well as for many other purposes. Tarpaulins which are provided with eyelets, supporting strips or other fastening means, have become very important in the construction industry where they serve to protect against weather, particularly during rainy, cold days, and dusty days.
There are two drawbacks to conventional tarpaulins. The first is that the conventional tarpaulins come in fixed sizes, so that a given tarpaulin might be ideal to be used for covering a certain item, but it would be either too large or too small to cover another item which is considerably larger or smaller. The second problem is that when the tarpaulins are used in heavily windy areas, the conventional tarpaulins with limited tied down areas, even with the best reinforced corners and edges, were often tearing because the conventional tarpaulins could not provide sufficient pull strength. Basically too much stress was put on each fastening point, because the tarpaulins were pulled only from one angle.
In connection with the first problem aforementioned, the user of conventional tarpaulins had to purchase several different sizes to accommodate different size items to be protected. In connection with the second problem, the tarpaulins were damaged easily, mainly due to a large rip starting from a small cut around reinforcements, due to too much stress around the reinforcements.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a new and innovative adjustable tarpaulin that enables the tarpaulin to be adjusted between two or more prefixed sizes and a tarpaulin which can provide the distribution of the load from more than one angle so stress will be distributed over two different sets of tie down points.